Tractor mounted loader attachment



TRACTOR MOUNTED LOADER ATTACHMENT Filed July 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v o S m INVENTOR.

1Q z 5 m $754022 3. jzzzczm Patented Oct. 2 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V 2,526,954 TRACTOR MOUNTED LOADER ATTACHMEN'I Joseph Kucera, Traer, Iowa. Application July 17, 1947, Serial No. 761,575

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to loader machines and in particular to a loader attachment for a tractor adapted to handle dirt, manure, hay and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved loader machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tractor loader attachment including a pair of oppositely arranged pivoted lift arms, vin which a lift unit of a pre-assembled construction and detachably mounted on the tractor, is' capable of evenly raising and lowering the lift arms regardless of the load distribution on the arms.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a tractor mounted loader attachment in which a single side mounted lift cylinder is adapted to uniformly raise and lower a pair of pivoted lift arms.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tractor loader attachment of a construction such that it can be easily removed from and assembled on the tractor by one man with a minimum of time and effort.

. A particular featur of this invention is found in the provision of a pre-assc'mbled lift unit for the pivoted lift arms of a tractor-mounted loader attachment, which includes a base having an upright support and an upright cylinder arranged at its opposite ends. The base member is detachably mounted to the underside of the tractor frame so that the cylinder and support are arranged at opposite sides of the tractor. A first cable passed over the cylinder piston has one end attached to the cylinder and its other end connected to the lift arm adjacent to the cylinder. A second cable also has one end attached to the cylinder and travels over the piston, along the base and up and over the upright support for connection of its other end with the lift arm adjacent to the support. On movement of the piston the cables are concurrently acted upon to evenly raise and lower the lift arms regardless of the load distribution on the lift arms.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

' Fig. l is a side elevational View of a tractor with theloader attachment of this invention assembled thereon, with portions of the tractor being broken away and shown in section to more clearly show such assembly;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

lift unit which forms part of the attachment of" Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 55' in Fig. 2, showing a cylinder and. pump assembly for the attachment;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view as seeh. along the line 66 in Fig. 1, showing the support of the pivoted lift arms on the tractor rear axle;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective View of a hand lever and indicating plate therefor, for operating an oil control valve in the pump and cylinder assembly; I

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic showing of the oil control valve; and Figs. 9 and 10 are illustrated similarly to Fig. 8 and show the valve in changed positions.

With reference to the drawings, the loader attachment of this invention is illustrated in Fig. 1" in assembly relation with a commercial type John Deere tractor having a frame, indicated generally as III, a rear axle structure II, rear wheels I2 and front steering wheels I3. A side or belt pulley is indicated at I5.

The attachment comprises a pair of pivoted liftarms I4 and: Ma (Figs. 1 and 2), arranged at opposite sides of the tractor and having their rear e nds pivoted at I6 between a pair of upright plates Il carried on the rear axle II. The upright plates I! (Fig. 6) form part of a bracket I8 which is secured to the axle II by bolts or the like I9. The front ends of the liftarms I4 and Ida extend forwardly ahead of the tractor and are connected together at such ends by a transverse connecting structure 20 (Fig. 4) including a transversepipe member 2| secured at its opposite ends to fastening plates 22.

Brace members 23 are connected between the pipe member 2| and the plates 22. The structure 20 is detachably connected with the lift arms I4 and Md by bolts 24 extended through the plates 22 and the lift arms. A scoop 26 is pivotally supported between the front ends of the arms I4 and Ma, at a position forwardly of the connecting member 2|, on pins 27 carried on the lift arms;

I The lift arms I4 and Ma are raised and lowered by means including a lift unit, indicated generally as 28 (Figs. 2 and 3) which is of a preassembled construction. The unit 28 is comprised of a base member 29 formed of two angle members 3| arranged in a side by side relation with adjacent legs 32 thereof positioned in parallel vertical planes. An upright support 33, of a channel iron construction, is carried at one end of the base 29 and is provided with a flange member 34 connected with the horizontal legs of the angle members 3|.

Carried at the opposite end of the base member 29 is a pump and cylinder assembly having a hydraulic cylinder 36 mounted on the top of a pump unit 37 (Figs. 2, 3 and unit 31 is connected as by bolts 38 with the horizontal legs of the angle members 3|. By virtue of the connection of the upright support 33 and pump unit 37 with the angle members 3|, such members are rigidly connected in a parallel spaced relation.

Spaced inwardly from opposite ends of the base member 29 are upright brackets 38 which are spaced a distance apart corresponding substantially to the width of the tractor frame ID (Figs. 2 and 3). In the assembly of the lift unit 28 on the'tractor, the base member 29 is extended transversely of the tractor and to the underside of th tractor frame I0, such that the upright brackets 38 are positioned against opposite sides of the tractor frame. The unit is maintained in assembly relation on the tractor by bolts 39 extended through the brackets 38 and through the side frame members 4| of the tractor frame It. It is contemplated that the lift unit 28 be arranged rearwardly of the front steering wheels l3, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Rotatably supported at the top of the upright support 33 is a single pulley 42. The piston 43, for the cylinder 36, carries a bracket member 44 for rotatably supporting a pair of pulleys 46 and 46a with the pulleys 42, 46 and 4611. being arranged for rotation in vertical planes extended transversely of the tractor, or longitudinally of the base member 29.

As best appears in Fig. 2, the cylinder 36 and upright support 33 are arranged at opposite sides of the tractor frame H! at positions between the tractor frame and an adjacent lift arm I4 and Ma. A first cable 41 is connected at one end 48 with the lift arm I4 and from such connection travels upwardly for travel over the pulley 46 and then downwardly for connectionof its other end 49 with a bracket 5| carried adjacent the .upper end of the cylinder 36. A secondcable 52 has one end connected at 53 with the lift arm Ma, and from such lift arm travels upwardly fortravel over the pulley 42 and then downwardly along the inner side of the support 33 for travel about a pair of pulleys 54 and 54a rotatably supported between the adjacent legs 32 of the angle members 3| in a relation spaced longitudinally of the base member 29. From the pulley 54a, the cable 52 extends upwardly along the inner side of the cylinder 36 for travel about the pulley 46a and then downwardly for connection of its other end 56 with the bracket 5| at a position arranged oppositely from the end 49 of the cable 41'. On movement of the piston 43, therefore, the cables 41 and 52 are concurrently acted upon to uniformly and evenly raise and lower the lift arms l4 and |4a.

The pump unit 31 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) has an outlet 51 which is connected through a pipe 58 with an inlet 59 to the space 6| in the cylinder 36 below the piston plunger 60. The pump inlet 62 is connected through a pipe 63 with the space 64 in the cylinder 36 above the piston The pump- 4 plunger 6|]. A three-way valve unit 66 includes a casing 69 and a rotary valve member 1|, with the valve 66 being generally indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. The casing 69 has passages 51a and 59a connected, respectively, through the pipe 58, with the pump outlet 51 and the inlet 59 to the lower cylinder space 6|. A third passage 61a is connected through a pipe 61 with the pump inlet 62 and the pipe 63.

. The valve member 66 is operated by a control handle 68 extended rearwardly from the pump unit 31 and formed at its rear end with a hand grip 65 (Figs. 1 and '7). A driven pulley 18 on the pump shaft 19 is connected by a belt 8| with F the tractor belt pulley l5.

In the operation of the loader, assume the lift arms l4 and Ma to be in their lowered positions shown in Fig. 1, and the valve member H to be in its hold or neutral position in Fig. 9. This neutral position is determined by a horizontal position of the control handle hand grip 65 extended outwardly from the support H3 for the steering wheel axle (Figs. 1 and '7).

The handle 68 is loosely received through a supporting plate 14 carried on the support 16 and projected outwardly to the left of the support 10, as viewed in Fig. 7. Extended rearwardly from the plate 14 and arranged in a vertically spaced relation to opposite sides of the handle 68 are a pair of stop pins 13 and I5 which coact with a radially projected pin 12 on the handle to define, respectively, the raise and lower positions for the rotary valve member 1|.

In the neutral position of the valve member 1|, the casing passage 59a is closed and the passages 51a and 61a are in fluid communication. Oil, or like fluid, from the pump outlet 57 thus flows through the valve unit 66 and through the pipe 61' to the pump inlet 62, it being understood that the upper cylinder space 64 is filled with oil so as to constitute an oil reservoir. As a result the cylinder 36 is by-passed and the flow of oil is only through the pump 31.

To raise the arms I 4 and Ma to their dotted r positions shown in Fig. 1, the hand grip 65 is moved from its neutral position to its upright or raise position shown in Fig. 7, at which the handle pin 12 is engaged by the upper stop pin 13. This actuation of the grip 65, and in turn of the handle 68, provides for a rotary movement of the valve member II in a clockwise direction from its neutral position in Fig. 9 to its raise position shown in Fig. 8.

The raise position of the valve member closes the casing passage 61a and communicates the passage 51a with the passage 5911. Oil from the pump outlet 51 is thus delivered to the lower cylinder space 6|, concurrently with the delivery of oil from the upper cylinder space 64 to the pump inlet 62. The arms l4 and Ma are held in their raised positions by moving the grip 65 to its neutral position.

a When the arms I4 and |4a are to be lowered the grip 65 is moved in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7, to a downwardly extended position in which the handle pin 12 is engaged by the stop pin 15. As a result of this movement the rotary valve member is moved in a counter-clockwise direction from either of its positions in Figs. 3 and 9, to its lower or down position shown in Fig. 10. At this lower position of the valve member all of easing passages 51a, 59a and 61a are open so that the oil is free to and 61.

3! is continuously operated-s that movement of the lift arms l4 and Na, in response to an actuation of the control-rod 88, is positive and immediate.

The latch mechanismfor holding the scoop 26 in a load carrying position includes a rock shaft 8| (Fig. 4) rotatably supported'in a'pipe member 82 welded to the top side of the connect ing member 2|. The inner end of the rock shaft 8| is integrally formed with an upright latch member 83 adapted toreleasa'bly engage a catch member 84 projected rearwardly from the back wall 86 of the scoop 28. The catch 84 consists of a bolt extended through the opposite legs of an upright channel member 81 which is adiustably supported on the scoop back wall 88 by bolts 88 extended through slots (not shown)..formed in the base of the channel member 81. The leg 89a, of the channel member 81, is of a longer length than the leg89 to provide for the abutting engagement of its-lower end with the connecting member 2|. Ona return of the scoop :26 from adumping positionto a loading position, the abutting engagement of the leg 89a with the connecting member 2i limits the return movement of the scoop 28 to a position at which the latch 83 is engageable with the bolt 84.

The outer end of the rock shaft 8| is integrally formed with an upright rock arm 80, the free end of which is connected with an actuating rod 9| (Figs. 1 and 4). The rear end of the rod 9| is pivoted to a control lever 92, which in turn is pivoted at its lower end adjacent to the rear end of the lift arm Ma. A coil spring 93, connected between the rock arm 89 and the lift arm Ma. acts to yieldably move and hold the latch 83 in an engaging position with the catch 84.

The latch 83 is released from its engaged positlon with the catch member 84 on rearward movement of the control lever 92 against the action of the spring 93. On a release of the control lever 92, the catch 83 is moved into an engaging position with the catch 84 by the action of the spring 93.

The return of the scoop 26 from a dumping position to a load-carrying position is accomplished by the action of gravity. Stated otherwise, the weight of the scoop located rearwardly of the scoop pivots 21 is greater than the weight of the scoop located forwardly of the pivots 21. However, when the scoop is loaded, the forward portion of the scoop overbalances the rear portion of the scoop so that on a release of the catch member 83 the scoop is moved by gravity to a dumping position. After the load is dumped, the greater weight of the scoop is rearwardly of the pivots 21, whereby the scoop is pivotally moved by gravity to its normal loadcarrying position.

From a consideration of the above description it is seen that the invention provides a tractor-mounted loading attachment which is of a simple and compact construction and capable of being readily assembled with and removed from the tractor with a minimum of time and effort. The lift unit 28 is of a pre-assembled construction and is completely removed by merely disconnecting the cables 41 and 52 from their corresponding lift arms l4 and [4a, respectively, and then removing the bolts 39. The complete lift unit 28 thus drops from the tractor. The lift arm and scoop assembly is removed from the tractor by merely removing the pivots l8 at the rear ends of the lift arms.

scope of this invention, as defined vByvirtuerof'the'relative arrangement and as -1* sembly of the cables and 52 with the lift arms I! and Ma, and the lift piston 43, a positive and"- concurrent raising and lowering action of the lift arms takes place regardless of the distributionon the. scoop 28iof. the load being handled. In

otherwords, even though the load in the scoop 26 may be-entirely on one side thereof, the lift arms- I45an'd Matare moved together in unison.-

it is to be understood that it is not -to beso limited since changes andYmodifications can be made thereinwhich arewithin the full intended pended claims.

' Iclaim: 1

pivotedat their rear ends on the tractor frame,

said unit including a'transverse member detachably supported from the tractor frame with its endsprojected outwardly from each side of said frame, an upright-cylinder mountedon one-endof said transverse member, a piston for said cylinder, an upright support carried at the other end of said transverse member, a pair of cables connected at one of their ends with said lift arms and attached at their opposite ends to said cylinder, with one of said cables being movably supported on said upright support, said piston and said transverse member, and the other cable being movably supported on said piston, a pump unit mounted on the one end of said transverse member for supplying fluid under pressure to said cylinder, and tractor-operated means for driving said pump unit.

2. A loader attachment for a tractor including a pair of pivoted lift arms arranged at opposite sides of the tractor and pivoted at their rear ends on the tractor frame, a load-carrying unit supported between the front ends of said arms, a lift unit for raising and lowering said arms including a transverse base member carried below the tractor frame, an upright support at one end of said base member, an upright cylinder at the other end of said base member, a piston for said cylinder, a first flexible member connected at one end to the lift arm adjacent to said support and at its opposite end with a portion of said cylinder, said cable intermediate the ends thereof being movably carried on the top of said upright support, said base member and said piston, a second flexible member movably supported intermediate its ends on said piston and having one end thereof connected to said cylinder and an opposite end thereof to the lift arm adjacent to said cylinder, and tractor-operated means for supplying fluid under pressure to said cylinder.

3. In a loader attachment for a tractor including a pair of pivoted lift arms arranged at opposite sides of the tractor, a detachable lift unit for raising and lowering said arms including a base member extended transversely of the tractor, an upright support at one end of said base member, an upright hydraulic cylinder at the other end of said base, means for attaching said base on said tractor so that said cylinder and support are positioned at opposite sides of the tractor, a piston for said cylinder, pulleys on said piston and upright support, other pulleys spaced longitudinally of said base, a first cable attached at one end to said cylinder and exby the ap-'- tended over said piston pulley,- downwardly for travel over said other pulleys, and upwardly over said support pulley and then downwardly there-v from for connection of its opposite end with the lift arm adjacent to said support, a second cable attachable at one end to said cylinder, and at its other end to the lift arm adjacent to said cylinder, with said cable intermediate the ends thereof being movably supported on said piston pulley, a pump unit mounted on said other end of the base member, fluid means connecting said pump with said cylinder, and tractor-operated means for driving said pump.

4. A detachable lift unit for a tractor mounted loading attachment having a pair of pivoted arms arranged at opposite sides of the tractor and pivoted at their rear ends of the tractor frame, said unit including a base member adapted to be arranged transversely of the tractor, an upright support at one end of said base and an 2o upright cylinder at the other end of said base 8e tonyaaingle pulley on said support, and a pair of longitudinally spaced pulleys on said base member, a first cable operatively associated with said support pulley, one of the pulleys on said piston and said pair of pulleys having one end connectible with said cylinder and an opposite end attachable with the lift arm adjacent to said support, and a second cable movably supported intermediate its ends on the other of said piston pulleys and having one end connected with said cylinder, and its opposite end attachable with the lift arm adjacent to said cylinder.

' JOSEPH B. KUCERA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Numb-er Name Date 2,184,688 Le Bleu Dec. 26, 1939 2,301,102 Werthman et al Nov. 3, 1942 2,398,964 Rogers et a1 Apr. 23, 1946 2,407,425 Homing et al. Sept. 10, 1946 

